Forest dept to promote human-elephant coexistence
To mitigate human-elephant conflicts, the forest department has planned to organise a 'Hati-Bandhu Mela,' a festival dedicated to elephants, aimed at raising awareness among the public.
On 5 October , 2024, six young adventurers from Siliguri embarked on an expedition to conquer Mount Bhanoti, standing at 5,645 metres (18,520 feet). The team, led by Dipankar Dey, included Ritesh Kedia, Agomoni Dutta, Azimun Akhtar (Sonali), Shubhendu Bhattacharya, and Sanjiban Dutta. Their journey commenced on 8 October from the remote village of Dau in Uttarakhand’s Bageshwar district.
After three days of challenging trekking, they established their base camp at Baluni on the evening of 10 October. The next day, they set up an advanced base camp at 14,500 feet. On 12 October, Azimun and Sanjiban managed the advanced base camp while the remaining members ascended to establish the summit camp at 16,200 feet.
Advertisement
Early on 13 October, at 4 a.m, Dipankar and Ritesh began their final ascent. They reached 5,500 metres but faced a daunting 165-metre rock wall. Agomoni and Shubhendu paused to assist their teammates with this challenging section. With determination and teamwork, Dipankar Dey and Ritesh Kedia reached the summit of Mount Bhanoti at 11:10 a.m. on 13 October 2024. Team member Shubhajit Bhadra reported from Siliguri that all climbers are in good health and are expected to return home on 20 October 2024.
Advertisement
Advertisement
